Markle Foundation Establishes Fellowship Program to Explore Impact of Information Technology on Society | Markle | Advancing America's Future Foundation announced the appointment of the first two Markle Fellows John Simons of The Wall Street Journal and writer commentator David Friedman Markle will commit nearly 1 million over the next two years to support four Markle Fellows in the first year and five Fellows in the second year each Fellow will serve one year terms The Markle Fellows are part of the Fellowship program operated by the New America Foundation a non profit non partisan public policy institute based in Washington DC John Simons who assumed his Fellowship on January 3rd most recently was the Technology Policy reporter for The Wall Street Journal writing about the government s broadening role as Internet policy maker and on the high tech industry s growing influence on Washington politics David Friedman who begins his fellowship on March 1 is an economics writer commentator and attorney whose work is widely published in national and international publications Said Zoë Baird We are delighted to be able to create an environment in which the next generation of thought leaders can do focused thinking writing and analysis about the pressing issues surrounding information technology and society We see this as an exciting extension of the work the Markle Foundation is doing to look at ways in which new media and technology can improve people s lives It is important that as this new communications environment takes shape we have a deep examination of the critical issues we will face as a society David Friedman and John Simons will make a serious contribution in that effort Ted Halstead Founder President and CEO of the New America Foundation said We are delighted that the Markle Foundation is now a partner in our successful Fellowship Program Their support enables us to appoint several exceptionally talented new Fellows who will focus on a critical set of issues at the intersection of information technology and public policy About John Simons As Technology Policy reporter for The Wall Street Journal Simons wrote breaking news stories and feature articles on the government and the high tech industry Other recent topics covered by Simons include Internet taxation online crime consumer privacy and the Web s influence on the 2000 Presidential race As a Markle Fellow Simons is focusing on policy issues the digital divide consumer privacy participation in the political process and issues of jurisdiction between local state federal and international regulatory bodies Previously Simons was Senior Editor at U S News World Report In this role he developed and wrote articles for the Business and Technology section covering the Internet as an emerging business and economic environment Mr Simons received a B A in Journalism from Northeastern University and currently lives in Washington DC About David Friedman As an economics writer commentator and attorney David Friedman contributed to the The Los Angeles Times The Washington Post International Herald Tribune Orange County Business Journal Japan Times Forbes and The American Enterprise among other publications In 1998 the California Newspaper Publishers Association honored Friedman as

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/markle-foundation-establishes-fellowship-program-explore-impact (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive

Markle Foundation Commits More Than $1 Million To Improve Internet Governance, Including Initiatives To Make ICANN More Publicly Accountable | Markle | Advancing America's Future Internet community the expertise of leaders who understand how to build and protect democratic institutions They and our other partners will help us forge essential ties between the Internet community and established democracy advocates here and abroad Esther Dyson Interim Chairman of ICANN s Initial Board of Directors said We re just delighted that Markle will make such a substantial contribution to ICANN s At Large Membership program Markle s commitment to broad public participation in setting policy for the Internet infrastructure is evident in the size of the grant and the attention to the issues that come with it Although ICANN s specific mandate is limited we hope its activities will be a key foundation for Markle s initiatives in building public interest and participation in the global medium We plan to use the money to move quickly in public outreach so that we can have broad and informed public input as we move forward in the design and implementation of the At Large membership structure which will ultimately produce 9 of our 19 directors Initiatives announced today The initiatives announced today include a 200 000 grant to ICANN to fund the first phase of ICANN s At Large Membership Implementation Program This program is designed to build ICANN s At Large Membership so that any Internet user in the world can participate In addition this grant will support the development of standards to ensure a fair legitimate voting process and technical mechanisms for global voting ICANN s At Large Membership will ultimately select nine of ICANN s 19 member Board of Directors nine additional directors have already been elected by the three Supporting Organizations the President CEO is the 19th member Markle is also partnering with a wide range of independent entities to improve ICANN specifically and Internet governance generally The Atlanta based Carter Center the world s leading election monitoring organization will help the Internet community create an adequate mechanism to monitor the ICANN at large membership elections in order to evaluate whether they are open and free of fraud The Carter Center will also work with other leading experts in voting and democracy to determine standards for a fair election Common Cause a 200 000 plus member nonpartisan organization promoting open honest and accountable government will create and lead an international group of experts in governance and public accountability to advise ICANN about how to build bona fide membership and voting processes The American Library Association ALA the world s oldest and largest national library association will distribute educational materials about ICANN and individual membership including those produced by ICANN and others in the United States and in partnership with international library groups throughout the world In addition the ALA has agreed to create virtual voting booths at libraries in the United States and work with library organizations abroad to do the same thing for the At Large elections The Center for Democracy and Technology CDT a leading civil liberties organization based in Washington DC will

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/markle-foundation-commits-more-1-million-improve-internet-governance (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive

MOUSE Honors 'Champions of Technology & Education' at Annual Fundraiser | Markle | Advancing America's Future Framework Health IT Health Library National Security Page Sections About National Security Post 9 11 Legacy Our Impact Task Force Quick Links National Security Library Reports and Recommendations Sharing and Collaboration The Lawfare Blog Library Quick Links Our Book America s Moment Archive Media Releases Member Commentary President s Letters Videos About Markle Page Sections About Markle A Message from Zoë Baird Our Principles Our Impact Board of Directors Senior Team Our History Quick Links Conference Space Events Markle in the News Media Releases Past Initiatives President s Letters Rework America Page Sections About Rework America A Message from Rework America Opportunity for All Our Impact Initiative Members Expert Advisors Quick Links Rework America Connected Our Book America s Moment Initiative Overview Latest News Letters to Members Member Commentary Personal Stories Rework America Library Health Page Sections About Health Our Impact Steering Group Consumer Work Group HIE Committee Quick Links Blue Button Common Framework Health IT Health Library National Security Page Sections About National Security Post 9 11 Legacy Our Impact Task Force Quick Links National Security Library Reports and Recommendations Sharing and Collaboration The Lawfare Blog Library Quick Links Our Book America s Moment Archive Media Releases Member Commentary President s Letters Videos MOUSE Honors Champions of Technology Education at Annual Fundraiser Publication Date October 26 1999 NEW YORK NY Andrew Rasiej Founder President of MOUSE Making Opportunities for Upgrading Schools Education a non profit organization providing volunteer manpower and technical support to New York City public schools announced today that 550 industry professionals will gather on October 26 at New York s famous Windows on the World to support and recognize exceptional leadership in bridging the digital divide in New York City public schools with the first annual Champions of Technology Education Awards Champion of Technology Education Awards recipients include Zoë Baird President Markle Foundation Charles Raymond President and COO Citigroup Foundation Mark Swanson President iXL Fernando Espuelas President StarMedia as well as an outstanding public high school teacher and student These champions prove everyday that a personal commitment to education does make a difference Without their involvement the effort to bring technology to those who have not been served could not effectively happen Andrew Rasiej Founder President MOUSE I am quite honored to receive this award especially from an organization that has itself done so much work with technology on behalf of children said Baird The Markle Foundation and MOUSE share the view that new communications media have enormous potential to help our children grow learn and prosper and we re both working to give children the communications tools that will truly benefit them Distinguished attendees such as Bill Thompson President of the New York City Board of Education Virginia Fields Manhattan Borough President etc and over thirty leading Internet companies have joined MOUSE in the launch of this prestigious fundraising event MOUSE since its launch in 1997 has provided 24 public high schools with an estimated 1 5 million worth of technical expertise and support On

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/mouse-honors-champions-technology-education-annual-fundraiser (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive

Thirteen/WNET and the Markle Foundation Announce Learning Adventures in Citizenship, an Internet Project Promoting Student Participation and Volunteerism in Communities Nationwide | Markle | Advancing America's Future in Citizenship provides a national standards based Web curricula for middle school students and their teachers to teach them how they can take responsibility for solving problems in their communities Developed with and underwritten by the Markle Foundation Learning Adventures is part of the Foundation s 100 million investment over the next three to five years to help ensure that public needs are served by emerging communications media and information technologies Learning Adventures in Citizenship takes visitors through six consecutive time periods in New York City history This virtual experience in time travel is brought to life through interactive learning material such as QuickTime video GIF and Flash animation audio student activities lesson plans and a Citizenship Gallery forms that students can submit of their classroom and community projects across America With an official launch on Friday October 1st Learning Adventures in Citizenship can be found at two locations www wnet org newyork and www pbs org newyork New York A Documentary Film premiers on Sunday November 14th on PBS Specifically Learning Adventures in Citizenship includes the following components Learning Adventures which presents interactive environments that contain learning material and student activities For Teachers which contains lesson plans a primer on social science inquiry and discussion forum Citizenship Gallery which features student works illustrating individual or classroom community projects Citizenship Research Resources a guide to research and citizenship resources and Learning Adventure Contest a national citizenship contest for students and children at home In a sense visitors to the site will be given the proverbial key to the city of New York said Ruth Ann Burns Vice President and Director of Thirteen WNET s Educational Resources Center Hopefully they ll use that key to unlock the doors to their own communities to explore the past present and future of those communities and to discover the many opportunities for participation and volunteerism According to Zoë Baird President of the Markle Foundation Learning Adventures in Citizenship embodies some of the best things the Internet can offer children and parents Learning Adventures in Citizenship is an important and engaging way for children to use their own media to discover how they can contribute to their communities through the lessons of those who built our hometown New York City So many key elements of Learning Adventures from video clips and animation to audio and online contests make this an exciting and fun way to learn about not only New York but communities across America Learning Adventures in Citizenship is a multi disciplinary resource that can be used in the classroom or at home Most important it gets young people involved in their community Learning Adventures in Citizenship includes educational activities in social studies science technology language arts music and the fine arts and places them within the context of New York City s economic political technological and cultural evolution It is built around an interactive multimedia knowledge base that synthesizes and expands on the information included in New York A Documentary Film and makes

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/thirteenwnet-and-markle-foundation-announce-learning-adventures (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive

Markle Announces 5-Year, $100 Million Initiative Aimed At Using the Internet and Other New Media For Public Benefit | Markle | Advancing America's Future nonprofits academic institutions government and the industry itself The announcement is the result of a comprehensive review of the current communications landscape begun when Ms Baird became Markle s president in 1998 The examination has led the New York based Foundation to identify four key areas of public need in which it will concentrate Public Engagement through Interactive Technologies which will encourage the use of communications technology to help people actively pursue knowledge and participate in democratic society Policy for a Networked Society which will work to enhance the public voice in the consideration and resolution of domestic and international policies that are surfacing in this new communications environment Interactive Media for Children which aims to enhance the potential for children to benefit from using interactive technologies The program also aims to expand public expectations for what these technologies can do to enhance children s lives Healthcare which will work to improve the ability of patients and consumers and those who treat them to make use of information technology to improve their health and health care In addition the Foundation announced the creation of an Opportunity Fund to support public interest initiatives that fall outside these primary program areas and to ensure that intellectual and financial resources are available for unanticipated projects Zoë Baird and the terrific Markle Foundation team have an opportunity to have a significant impact on the role communications technologies will play in our lives said Lewis W Bernard the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Foundation This is an important time in the evolution of the industry and we are therefore making a serious commitment to provide the resources necessary for the course the Foundation has charted A private nonprofit philanthropy the Markle Foundation is the largest grantmaking foundation concentrating exclusively on the field of communications media and information technology According to the announcement Markle will pursue its goals through a range of activities including analysis research public information and the development of innovative media products and services The Foundation will also create and operate many of its own projects using not only grants but also investments and strategic alliances with non profits and businesses Among the grants and investments announced today A 4 5 million investment in a project with Oxygen Media for research and experimentation in converging media Markle has made a program related investment of 3 5 million to create a partnership with Oxygen Media for the development of the Oxygen Markle Pulse which aims to enhance the influence of the audience over the creation of content The Oxygen Markle Pulse will track and measure women s attitudes needs and values to engage them as active partners in informing Oxygen s content online and on cable television This information will also be widely distributed to the public In addition Markle is creating a 1 million Experimental Fund for Converging Media with Oxygen for the creation of new programming tools and technologies that might not otherwise be developed on a strictly commercial

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/markle-announces-5-year-100-million-initiative-aimed-using-internet-and (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive

Web White & Blue Campaign Signals Shift In Use Of Web For Election Information | Markle | Advancing America's Future Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press Politics and Public Policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government and supported by hundreds of major industry and nonprofit Web sites These sites have joined together in an unprecedented effort to donate prime real estate for placement of the Web White Blue icon or banner ad to help Americans become better informed about politics In a voluntary survey answered by more than 500 visitors to the Web White Blue site the most striking preliminary findings are 84 percent of survey respondents said 1998 is the first year they have used the Internet to get election information 88 percent said that Web White Blue was extremely or quite easy to use 49 percent learned about Web White Blue by seeing the icon or the banner ads displayed on leading Internet sites 61 percent say they expect to use the Internet as their primary media source for election information in 2000 Web White Blue makes democracy easier said Markle Foundation President Zoe Baird These findings indicate that the American public wants political information that is easy to use and that the Internet can provide it Efforts like Web White Blue can transform citizen involvement in politics There are now more than 1 200 sites displaying the Web White Blue icon up from 350 when the site was launched three weeks ago The icon links directly to the Web White Blue site which in turn links to 45 Web sites that offer a range of election related resources DemocracyNet one of the resource sites whose access and visibility was significantly heightened through its link from Web White Blue registered a 1 200 percent increase in page views from October 1 to October 7 and continues to have a regular viewership that is 600 percent higher than it was prior to the launch of Web White Blue Minnesota E Democracy reported a 300 percent increase during the same time period and has maintained double the viewership that it had prior to the Web White Blue launch Web White Blue is fulfilling its promise to be a portal for democracy said Steve Case chairman and CEO of America Online which is hosting the site This unprecedented online initiative will have a major impact on shaping the way the public gets political information in 2000 Other compelling findings from the Web White Blue user survey include 80 percent of those who said television was their primary news source were especially impressed with the comprehensiveness of the Web White Blue site Almost 90 percent of those users age 46 and over said they were getting election information from the Internet for the first time 81 percent of the Web White Blue users said they would recommend the site to a friend Web White Blue has clearly met a need among Internet users who wanted to know more about the upcoming election said Shorenstein Center Director Marvin Kalb We look forward to using what we ve learned about educating voters

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/web-white-blue-campaign-signals-shift-use-web-election-information (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive

Internet Community Joins Together for Web, White & Blue Day October 7th | Markle | Advancing America's Future first time at a national level to get Americans informed about politics by displaying an icon on their homepage that links Internet users directly to the Web White Blue Day site The campaign s Web site at www webwhiteblue org will be live October 7 and remain active through the election November 3 Web hosting services for the campaign are being provided by America Online The Internet recently passed a milestone in cementing its role in American politics Last month some 20 million people used the Net to gain access to the Starr Report within 24 hours after the report was released Participation in our democracy just became easier Markle Foundation President Zoe Baird said Web White Blue Day will insure that the vast array of political information on the Web is as accessible and user friendly as possible As 1998 unfolds the public clearly feels that the Web is an important part of the political process This unique partnership will further that trend Based on historical traffic records for Web usage it is estimated that more than 25 30 million Web users will see the Web White Blue Day icon throughout the campaign Almost 35 percent of the U S adult population now uses the Internet and Americans have adopted this medium faster than they adopted television radio and the telephone While citizen involvement in politics is at an all time low less than half of the voting age population in the U S voted in the 1996 election according to the Federal Election Commission 60 percent of connected Americans vote according to a 1997 study by Wired magazine The Internet can fundamentally change our political process by empowering people to educate themselves America Online Chairman and CEO Steve Case said Web White Blue Day illustrates this tremendous power how the Internet can provide a depth and breadth of information in one place that s simply impossible to duplicate in the traditional media The Web White Blue Day site offers election related resources in the following categories Voter Information polling locations and youth resources Your State government and non profit election oriented Web sites by state Issues comprehensive issue directories candidate positions and public opinion poll results Campaigns candidate directories and more Election News national regional and state news sites Participate discussion about politics and election issues All together Web White Blue Day links to 45 Web sites that offer a range of political information from ELECnet which links to state county and city sites in all 50 states to the Center for Responsive Politics which offers in depth campaign finance information to Project Vote Smart which tracks information on more than 13 000 candidates and elected officials to the Newspaper Association of America s Newspaperlinks com which is creating a new directory of local election coverage by its 850 members The more than 350 web sites carrying the Web White Blue Day icon represent organizations ranging from major Internet search engines and services to media organizations online directories

Original URL path: http://www.markle.org/about-markle/media-release/internet-community-joins-together-web-white-blue-day-october-7th (2016-02-10)Open archived version from archive